Eight Aussie Combinations Named for European Events to Vie for Olympic Team

Lyndal Oatley riding Sandro Boy in the Olympic Games in London. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

SYDNEY, April 15, 2016–Eight combinations from three continents were named Friday to compete in Europe for places on the Australian Olympic team of four horses and riders.

The eight combination including the cousins Lyndal and Kristy Oatley, both based in Germany and Mary Hanna on two horses were selected by Equestrian Australia based on results of competitions over the past eight months and are:

–Lyndal Oatley, 35, Nottuln, Germany/Sandro Boy, 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding

Career highlights: 2012 Olympic Games;  2010, 2014 World Games; 2016 World Cup Final

–Kristy Oatley, 37, Hamburg, Germany/Du Soleil, 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding

Career highlights: 2000, 2008, 2012 Olympic Games; 1998, 2006, 2014 World Games; 2001, 2004 World Cup Finals

–Brett Parbery, 44, Penrose, Australia/DP Weltmieser, 13-year-old Australian Warmblood gelding

Career highlights: 2010 World Games; 2010 World Cup Final

–Kelly Layne, 40, Wellington, Florida/Udon P, 15-year-old KWPN gelding

Career highlights: 2006 World Games; CDIO3* Nations Cups Wellington 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

–Mary Hanna, 61, Bellarine, Australia/Umbro, 15-year-old KWPN gelding

Career highlights: 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012 Olympic Games; 1998, 2002, 2014 World Games; 1997, 2014, 2016 World Cup Final

–Maree Tomkinson, 47, Wallan, Australia/Diamantina 4, 14-year=old Oldenburg mare

Career highlights: 2014 World Games

–Suzanne Hearn, 60, Bowral, Australia/Remmington, 14-year-old Australian gelding

–Mary Hanna/Boogie Woogie, 10-year-old KWPN gelding

The two nomination events are: Odense, Denmark CDIO3* May 12-16 and Rotterdam, Netherlands CDIO5* June 23-26 June 2016

Rio Olympic Games On Track to be Successful, IOC Declares

Olympic equestrian venue in Deodoro outside Rio de Janeiro.

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 13, 2016–The Olympic Games were on track to be “successful,” the International Olympic Committee declared Wednesday, with just over 100 days to go to the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

The statement by Nawal El Moutawakeed, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, came at the end of three days of meetings and venue inspections, the last by the IOC body before the Aug. 5 opening of the first Games in South America.

It came the same day as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a link between the Zika virus and birth defects and days before a vote to impeach Brazil's president that could lead to political and economic instability.

However, the IOC Commission said 98 per cent of all venues were already completed. And 33 test events had been successful with positive feedback from competing athletes. Popular backing for the Games remains strong, with more than 70 per cent support in Rio de Janeiro.

The IOc's glowing report after the years of uncertainty over the ability of Brazil to complete venues by the deadline said the effort to be ready on time came “despite the complex political and economic context.”

Nawal El Moutawakeed, the IOC said, made her statement after meetings in Rio with representatives of federal, state and city governments as well as the organizing committee and a tour of the Olympic Park and Deodoro sites, where the equestrian events will be staged.

“As we enter the final 114 days until the opening of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and despite the complex political and economic context, we are confident that Brazil and the Brazilians are on track to deliver successful Olympic Games with an outstanding legacy,” she said. “The strong support from the local authorities as well as the partnership and solidarity shown by the IOC, international federations, national Olympic committees and other Olympic partners… has been invaluable to the Rio organizers as they finalize their preparations.

“The last stretch is always the hardest. During the operational phase that we are entering now, there are thousands of details still to manage, and their timely resolution will make the difference between average Games and great Games. The Rio 2016 team is ready to rise to this challenge and deliver Olympic and Paralympic Games that will reflect Brazilians' warmth, hospitality and passion for sports. We believe that Rio 2016 will make the host nation proud.”

Rio 2016 President Carlos Arthur Nuzman said support from the IOC and international federations “has helped us a lot” during what he described as “this difficult time for Brazil.”

“We will not be complacent in the last mile,” he said. “We know that we still have important elements to finalize before the opening ceremony on Aug. 5. We are working hard with all of our partners on each of these points and we are more confident than ever that Brazilians will deliver great Games.”

The Commission also received updates from the organizers and their partners on athlete and national Olympic Committee services, sport and international federation services, media operations, spectators, transport, marketing, technology and the Paralympic Games.

Omaha To Stage CDI4* With Olympic, World Games Competitors As Prelude to 2017 World Cup Final

Jacqueline Brooks competing D Niro at the 2012 London Olympic Games. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

OMAHA, Nebraska, April 12, 2016–International Omaha will feature a CDI4* with Olympic and World Games competitors together with CSI3* jumping next month as a prelude to the 2017 dual World Cups.

The CDI4* is being produced by Omaha Equestrian Foundation for May 5-7 at the CenturyLink Center that will host the 2017 World Cup Finals that will be the 32nd year for the annual global championship centered on the Grand Prix Freestyle musical performances. The 2017 Final will be the sixth dressage World Cup in the United States–four in Las Vegas and one in Los Angeles.

Jacqueline Brooks will compete D Niro that she rode for Canada at the 2012 Olympics in London–one of two Olympics she has competed in–and the World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2013.

Evi Strasser, who rode for Canada at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta,  the 2006 World Games, and World Cup Finals in 1997, 2005 and 2007 is also scheduled to compete in the CDI4* that will be the highest level dressage competition staged in North America outside of Florida's top tier winter circuit and carries $30,000 in total prize money.

Other competitors include Karen Pavicic who rode her Don Daiquiri on the Canadian team at the 2014 World Games in Normandy and Gabriel Armando, an international judge and ride for Argentina at the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games.

Among American riders are Anna Marek of Williston, Florida and Unico G that recorded the top Grand Prix placings for the pair at this year's Global Dressage Festival in Wellington and Emily Miles of Overland Park, Kansas whose Wakeup she competed at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany and was reserve champion at the U.S. Dressage Finals in 2014.

Lauren Sprieser of Marshall, Virginia earned four top-10 placings on the Global circuit this year as did Adrienne Pot of Barrington Hills, Illinois and is also a dressage judge.

Other U.S. riders include Jami Kment of Palmyra, Nebraska and Suzie Halle of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, an Adult Amateur.

At Age 20 Regardez Moi Ridden by Aussie Heath Ryan In Sydney CDI3* Oldest Active Big Tour Horse in World

Heath Ryan and Regardez Moi. File photo. © Franz Venhaus

April 10, 2016

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

At 20 years of age, Regardez Moi ridden by Heath Ryan was the oldest active Big Tour competition horse in the world when placing third in the Sydney CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle this weekend.

The Grand Prix and the Freestyle brought to 98 the number of CDI starts–including 29 victories–since Regardez Moi born April 18, 1996 by Rubinstein out of a Consul mare was ridden by Heath in their first CDI Grand Prix in March, 2007.

Although the black stallion “in a way should be retired,” the Oldenburg horse imported from Germany as a two-year-old loves the atmosphere of competitions, said Heath, based 100 miles/160km north of Sydney and who competes in both dressage and eventing international events.

Except for one journey to the West Coast of the United States to compete in the World Cup Final in Las Vegas and a CDI3* at Del Mar in Southern California in 2009, Regardez Moi's competition career has been in Australia. The pair have won the national Grand Prix Championship three times.

In the CDI3* this weekend, two offspring were competing against their father, including Utopian Cardinal ridden by Heath. Halfway around the world is another offspring, Rosa Cha W. The 11-year-old mare was acquired by former Australian now U.S. team eventing rider Boyd Martin and his wife, Silva. She competed the horse through Small Tour as a 2015 Pan American Games prospect. Injuries suffered in a riding accident on another horse at their Pennsylvania equestrian center in 2014 and then the birth of their first child a year later delayed moving Rosa Cha up to Grand Prix.

Regardez Moi is one of 11 dressage horses 21 or 20 years old among the total of 863 horses on the FEI, International Equestrian Federation, world rankings. But he is the only one registered so far this year to compete, according to a review of competition records by dressage-news.com.

Heath Ryan and Regardez Moi at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in 2009. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

The horse, the 57-year-old Heath said, “owes me nothing.”

“He has made the most amazing contribution to my career, indeed, life,” he said. “Through his offspring, two of which were competing against him in the Grand Prix classes this weekend, Regardez Moi has also made an enormous contribution to the sport.

“To ride, he is an old man. I warm him up for not much longer than 15 minutes and then in we go. As we circle the arena Regardez Moi looks at the audience and the arena and grows an extra couple of hands, starts to swing through the back and all of a sudden finds the spring in his step that years ago was his territory. He just koves the performance.

“Today Regardez Moi is still 100 per cent sound; however, he will run out of breath if I am not careful. By the end of a Grand Prix test these days he is puffing like an old man.

“Regardez Moi is well and truly past his prime and in a way should be retired, but he loves going to the big shows and loves everyone coming to see him and he loves the performance.

“I feel I owe him and if I am really careful the old man can still make the rest of the competitors' sweat.

“I am sure he will tell me when he has had enough.”

Meantime, he said, Regardez Moi still works in the indoor arena every day.

Fiona Bigwood & Orthilia Log Personal Best to Win Zeeland Outdoor CDI3 Grand Prix Special

Fiona Bigwood and Atterupgaards Orthilia. File photo © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

NIEUW EN SINT JOOSLAND, Netherlands, April 9, 2016–Fiona Bigwood rode Atterupgaards Orthilia to a personal best score to win the Zeeland Outdoor CDI3 Grand Prix Special Saturday with fellow British rider Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II runner-up.

Fiona and the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare competing in their first CDI since European Championships team silver last summer scored 76.255 per cent and the unanimous choice of the five judges for first place. The previous best Grand Prix Special mark in the pair's year of Big Tour competition was 75.922 per cent at Hartpury, England last July.

Victories in the Grand Prix and the Special are likely to give Fiona and Orthilia a ticket to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August along with European Championship team mates Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro and Carl Hester on Nip Tuck. Carl coaches both Charlotte and Fiona.

Spencer Wilton, campaigning to be on the four-member Olympic team, rode Super Nova to second place on 70.569 per cent.

The Netherlands' Marlies van Baalen on Ratzinger was third also on 70.569 per cent.

Edward Gal and Glock's Undercover pulled out of the Special following a sub-par Grand Prix performance in their first competition of the year.

The horse, Glock Horse Performance Center reported, was “too hot” in schooling. “It is not our weekend.”

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Special

Judges-E: M. de Bel NED H: A. Subottina RUS C: M. Peutz NED M: U. Nivelle GER B: S. Rhode RSA

#	RIDER	HORSE			E		H		C		M		B		Total
1	Fiona BIGWOOD    View Protocol	ATTERUPGAARDS ORTHILIA			77.059%		76.667%		75.686%		77.451%		74.412%		76.255%
					393	1	391	1	386	1	395	1	379.5	1	1944.5
2	Spencer WILTON    View Protocol	SUPER NOVA II			69.118%		70.686%		71.373%		72.059%		69.608%		70.569%
					352.5	3	360.5	3	364	3	367.5	2	355	3	1799.5
3	Marlies VAN BAALEN    View Protocol	RATZINGER			70.098%		69.510%		72.745%		68.922%		71.569%		70.569%
					357.5	2	354.5	4	371	2	351.5	4	365	2	1799.5
4	Anne VAN OLST    View Protocol	VORST			69.020%		73.627%		68.431%		70.000%		67.353%		69.686%
					352	4	375.5	2	349	7	357	3	343.5	5	1777
5	Matthias BOUTEN    View Protocol	EHRENGOLD MJ			69.020%		68.137%		69.216%		68.922%		65.784%		68.216%
					352	4	347.5	6	353	6	351.5	4	335.5	8	1739.5
6	Jennifer HOFFMANN    View Protocol	XXXL RUBINIO NRW			68.333%		66.275%		69.804%		68.137%		67.647%		68.039%
					348.5	6	338	8	356	4	347.5	6	345	4	1735
7	Carina NEVERMANN TORUP    View Protocol	SIRIKIT			68.137%		68.333%		69.804%		66.275%		65.000%		67.510%
					347.5	7	348.5	5	356	4	338	9	331.5	11	1721.5
8	Mario VAN ORSHAEGEN    View Protocol	WILCO V			67.941%		66.078%		67.255%		66.275%		66.471%		66.804%
					346.5	8	337	10	343	9	338	9	339	6	1703.5
9	Svenja PEPER    View Protocol	DISNEYWORLD			66.569%		67.745%		67.941%		66.275%		65.098%		66.725%
					339.5	9	345.5	7	346.5	8	338	9	332	10	1701.5
10	João Victor MARCARI OLIVA    View Protocol	HADDINGTON KHR			66.373%		66.078%		65.882%		66.765%		66.275%		66.275%
					338.5	11	337	10	336	11	340.5	7	338	7	1690
11	Francoise HOLOGNE-JOUX    View Protocol	WODAN (NL)			66.471%		63.235%		66.961%		66.373%		65.196%		65.647%
					339	10	322.5	12	341.5	10	338.5	8	332.5	9	1674
12	Tanya SEYMOUR    View Protocol	RAMONEUR 6			65.882%		66.176%		65.098%		65.000%		63.039%		65.039%
					336	12	337.5	9	332	12	331.5	12	321.5	14	1658.5
13	Akane KUROKI    View Protocol	DON LUKA			63.725%		63.137%		65.000%		62.843%		64.216%		63.784%
					325	14	322	13	331.5	13	320.5	14	327.5	12	1626.5
14	Seth BOSCHMAN    View Protocol	ADRIAAN RVL			64.706%		63.039%		63.333%		64.020%		63.529%		63.725%
					330	13	321.5	14	323	14	326.5	13	324	13	1625
15	Fouad ZAFAT    View Protocol	NINTENDO			59.706%		59.510%		58.039%		58.922%		58.824%		59.000%
					304.5	15	303.5	15	296	15	300.5	15	300	15	1504.5

Charlotte Jorst & Nintendo, in 1st Show Since World Cup, Win Rancho Murieta CDI3* Grand Prix

Charlotte Jorst and Nintendo. File photo. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

RANCHO MURIETA, California, April 8, 2016–The United States' World Cup Final partnership of Charlotte Jorst and Kastel's Nintendo won the Golden State Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix Friday while American team rider Kathleen Raine took both second and third spots.

Charlotte of Reno, Nevada and the 13-year-old KWPN stallion scored 68.400 per cent in what was the horse's 11th start on both coasts of the United States and in Europe this year.

Kathleen of Rancho Murieta placed second on Zuperman, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding on 67.600 per cent in only their second Big Tour competition. They made their debut last month.

On Breanna, the 16-year-old Hanoverian mare, Kathleen placed third on 66.960 per cent. In exactly five years at Grand Prix, Kathleen and Breanna have competed on both coasts of the United States and on three American Nations Cup teams in Europe.

Charlotte placed fourth on Kastel's Akeem Foldager with a score of 66.000 per cent.

Charlotte and Nintendo competed at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Florida throughout the winter. She then took Nintendo to Gothenburg, Sweden as one of two American combinations at the World Cup Final at the end of March before flying to the West Coast..

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix

E: McMullen – CAN

H: Weatherwax – USA

C: Maurel – FRA

M: Yukins – USA

B: Cunningham – PER

		Rider	Nat.	Horse				E	Rk.	H	Rk.	C	Rk.	M	Rk.	B	Rk.	T	Pl.
		Jorst, Charlotte	USA	Kastel's Nintendo				66.700	1	69.600	2	66.800	3	71.200	1	67.700	2	68.400	1
		Raine, Kathleen	USA	Zuperman				66.700	2	65.900	3	68.700	1	68.800	3	67.900	1	67.600	2
		Raine, Kathleen	USA	Breanna				64.600	4	70.100	1	67.700	2	66.200	4	66.200	3	66.960	3
		Jorst, Charlotte	USA	Kastel's Akeem Foldager				64.600	4	65.200	5	66.300	4	69.500	2	64.400	6	66.000	4
		Lert, Tracey	USA	Udo				64.600	4	65.000	6	65.000	5	65.500	6	64.300	7	64.880	5
		Thornlow, Lauren	USA	Royal Konig				60.300	0	65.800	4	64.900	6	65.800	5	65.800	4	64.520	6
		Howard, Anne	USA	Rondo				63.400	7	64.600	8	64.000	8	64.100	8	65.000	5	64.220	7
		Peters, Joni Lynn	CAN	Travolta				64.800	3	65.000	6	61.900	0	64.400	7	63.500	0	63.920	8
		Ahl-Eckhaus, Jackie	USA	Wisdom MVS				61.900	8	63.800	0	60.800	0	63.700	0	64.300	7	62.900
		Oleson, Heather	USA	Victor				61.100	0	62.300	0	64.400	7	63.800	0	61.600	0	62.640
		Ekstrand, Christine	USA	Fleur Rouge				59.700	0	59.900	0	61.200	0	63.500	0	62.400	0	61.340
		McKallip, Madeline	USA	Donna Carina														Elim

– See more at: http://www.foxvillage.com/fvdshowresults/(S(0cgkbbfsryklppziejyhra55))/Class.aspx?sh=3933&cl=4#sthash.ed7DygRy.dpuf

Dressage Judging Working Group Ordered Set Up by FEI “To Improve Judging”

The 2012 Olympic Games ground jury and officials. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

April 7, 2016

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

The creation of a dressage judging working group was ordered by the FEI, the International Equestrian Federation, Thursday “to improve judging of the discipline.”

The FEI Bureau mandated the group “following evaluation of the judging in dressage in 2015 and 2016 and taking into account experiences in other sports that have similar judging systems.”

The system of judging typically by panels made up of five judges at international Big Tour events–seven at some championships–has come under increased scrutiny and criticism over wide disparities in scores and limited procedures to make judges accountable.

The issue came to a head this year in Olympic qualifying events at Moscow in February and Lier, Belgium last month that led to results of one competition not being accepted because of what the FEI described as nationalistic judging.

The International Dressage Riders Club and other stakeholders, including some event organizers, have sought changes in judging, including ways to increase compensation for judges better than the €120/US$136 per day typical in Europe but almost four times greater in the United States

The bureau that is the top decision-making group aside from the annual General Assembly of 130 national federations of the FEI, the governing body of Olympic and international horse sports, also agreed to set up another working group that directly affects dressage.

The FEI said it “will focus on harmonizing the education, core roles, appointment, remuneration and promotion of FEI officials on a global basis and across all FEI disciplines.”

Make up of the group will be proposed “in due course.”

Based on feedback from the FEI Sports Forum earlier this week, the Bureau said the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo “should be teams of three and one individual per nation.”

The Technical Committees for the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and jumping should “finalize their proposals in that direction” to be submitted to national federations before a deciding vote at the General Assembly in November.

While the technical committees were asked to adopt a similar approach to formats at the World Equestrian Games in Bromont, Canada in 2018 it “understands that differences across the disciplines are still possible.” In addition to the three Olympic horse sports, the World Games also includes driving, endurance, reining, vaulting and para-equestrian.

Draft rules incorporating discussions from the Sports Forum and over the last year will be sent to national federations on July 15 with responses to be sent back to the FEI by Sept. 9 with final drafts published Oct. 28 ready or voting by the General Assembly in Tokyo Nov. 22.